Founder William Roy Richards & The History Of The National Motorcycle Museum.

The story of The National Motorcycle Museum is also the story of one incredible man, Mr William Roy Richards. On this page you can learn a little bit about Mr Richards and what lead to him founding the largest British Motorcycle Museum in the world.

The National Motorcycle Museum houses the largest collection of British motorcycle’s in the world with over 1000 machines from 170 different manufacterers spanning no less than three centuries!
Of the 1000 plus machines in the collection there are around 850 on display at any one time throughout the museum’s five huge display halls.

With our earliest pioneer machine dating from 1898 through to the latest British superbikes of this century the museum collection highlights both the development of the motorcycle as well as showcasing the UKs proud motorcycle manufacturing heritage.

On the collection page you will find a taster of just how amazing the National Motorcycle Museum really is with an alphabetical list of each of the 170 marques that make up our unique inventory.

Our main display halls page gives you an overview of the Museum collection with an east to follow list & images which give a glimpse of what to expect when you visit the world’s greatest British motorcycle museum.

With 170 marques and over 850 British motorcycle’s on display at any one time we certainly can’t show you everything that our five huge display halls contain! However our (mainly alphabetical listings) are designed to whet your appetite as regards just how special a place The National Motorcycle Museum really is.

Team National Motorcycle Museum Racing was formed in 2015 to contest the F1 race in that years Isle of Man Classic TT when William Dunlop rode one of the museum's original and iconic rotary Norton race bikes. The team exists to showcase some of the museum's competition inventory as it was originally intended to be used - back on track!

For full details and some great video footage see the main Team National Motorcycle Museum page.

During any given year any number of new machines will go on display within the five large halls that make up the National Motorcycle Museum. These machines will have come from a number of sources including new acquisitions or those from our own “stock” of unrestored machines that have been renovated in the Museum’s own workshop.

It’s not just the bikes at The National Motorcycle Museum that make us so special! Our friendly and knowledgeable staff are here to make your visit informative as well as enjoyable.

With decades of combined experience our team are able to help with many of the queries that you might have about the British Motorcycles that make up the Museum collection. You can discover more about everyone on the main Meet the Team page and find out more about their roles within the greatest motorcycle museum in the world.

The National Motorcycle Museum is located directly on the J6 island of the M42 motorway, directly opposite the NEC near Solihull in the West Midlands.

Once you are on the A45 and in the vicinity of the NEC and Airport, please look for our highway brown signs.

Please see the main getting here and parking page for more details include air, rail & public transport.

Sat Nav Postcode : B92 0EJ

*Some navigation systems (including certain TOMTOM models) misdirect visitors when using the correct museum postcode B92 0EJ. When near to our location which is situated on Junction 6 (M42 Motorway) we also suggest following the brown signs.

The National Motorcycle Museum is recognised as the finest and largest British motorcycle museum in the world and originally opened its doors in October 1984 with a collection of 350 motorcycles on display. The Museum collection now boasts some 1000 plus machines, fully restored to the manufacturers original specifications with over 850 on display at any one time.

The National Conference Centre situated on the same site as the National Motorcycle Museum is also one of the UKs largest conferencing and events facilities. The award winning conference centre has 13 purpose built suites available, including the Wardroom, seating small parties of up to 20 guests, and the Imperial Suite which can host 1000.

I have visited the National Motorcycle Museum several times now, both on my own and with my family. I was amazed at how many bikes were on display and how many different manufacturers bikes there were. We spent the day at the museum and enjoyed a delicious lunch at the cafe where the staff were lovely and helpful.

Michael CanavanVisited January 2015

Whilst restoring my BSA Bantam, I decided to make a visit to the NMM for inspiration. I found numerous models practically identical to mine – and the staff were so helpful.

I even manage to obtain an original manufacturers manual from the BMS catalogue whilst I was there!

The National Motorcycle Museum collection really comes to life when you book a guided ‘Highlights’ tour with one of our experienced tour guides.

Guided tours must be pre-booked and are available to everyone including those wanting to book a special birthday treat for an individual loved one up to large groups visiting us from clubs, societies, schools and industry. For more details see the main Museum Tours page.

Given its unique nature, breadth of facilities and central location The National Motorcycle Museum is the perfect venue for your club, organisation or business to old a wide variety of functions & events.

See the main Groups/Organisations & Special Occasions page for more details of what the museum has to offer.

2014 saw the launch of “Friends of The National Motorcycle Museum” which is the most exciting and innovative Membership scheme ever undertaken by a Museum or similar organisation.

Museum Director James Hewing stated “we have tremendous plans over the next few years to make The National Motorcycle Museum a truly dynamic resource for everyone who love’s old motorcycles. Building on Museum founder Roy Richards incredible legacy we want to give enthusiasts the chance not only to be part of, but more importantly, to take part in some unique activities that just wouldn’t be possible otherwise. The unique content of our Museum Friends Scheme will allow people to learn about, ride & enjoy old bikes whilst benefiting financially from the huge savings that can be made by insuring their machines via our insurance scheme”.

More details can be found by clicking on the various pages opposite which also contain some exciting video footage showing what you can expect when you become a Friend of the Museum!

Collecting is the core work that we do and new material is being added to the collections all the time. We are always grateful for offers of British Motorcycles, spares and related artefacts. For more details please see the main Offering an item to the museum page.

Volunteers are an important part of our work and in return the Museum can offer a valuable and fulfilling experience to those willing assist our work. People volunteer for a wide variety of reasons and for more details see the main Volunteers page.

The National Motorcycle Museum doesn’t receive any form of public funding and is therefore partially dependent on the success of our conference venue hire and banqueting complex.

The support and donations of individuals and industry for the funds to maintain our high standards of display, exhibits and amenities are vital to our work are also vital. On the Fundraising and Donations page you will find more details of how you can support us.

Becoming a Friend of the National Motorcycle Museum gives unique access to of the most exciting and unusual activities & events in the world of classic motorcycling! For more details see our full friends events list.

Every year the National Motorcycle Museum celebrates the anniversary of its opening to the public with a huge free “Museum Live” open day which takes place in late October.

Utilizing both the museum and our extensive conference facilities “Museum Live” sees the National Motorcycle Museum host a huge free open day when we will throw open the doors of the museum and everyone will be invited to visit the museum collection free of charge. For more details see the main Museum Live page.

We welcome visits from schools, college’s & university’s from all around the UK. The National Motorcycle Museum is a popular destination for all types of educational groups wishing to explore all aspects of the UKs great motorcycle manufacturing heritage.
The National Motorcycle Museum is the perfect educational venue for all ages of school & university students.

We welcome visits from schools, college’s & university’s from outside the UK. As the biggest & best motorcycle museum in the world we are a hugely popular destination for groups who are visiting England both to improve their language skills and explore aspects of the UKs manufacturing heritage.

The Birmingham area was always at the heart of Britain’s manufacturing industry and that remains as true today as it was during the golden era of the British Motorcycle Industry. The National Motorcycle Museum is the ideal venue for your business to visit with groups of apprentices/trainees given this countries proud motorcycle manufacturing heritage or as an unusual and atmospheric place to meet clients.

Becoming a Friend of the National Motorcycle Museum entitles you to take advantage of the incredibly low rates that we have negotiated for your Classic Motor Cycle Insurance via our Insurance partner Footman James.

See the insurance services page for more details of our specialist rates for Friends of the National Motorcycle Museum from just £76.00.

Bruce Main-Smith & Company Ltd is a specialist supplier of motorcycle books & technical literature which has formed part of the National Motorcycle Museum’s portfolio since 2013. We are pleased to be able to continue to supply all the photocopy sets, workshop manuals, parts books, sale’s catalogues & instruction books that have always formed such a valuable resource to both restorers & enthusiasts over the past years.

On the Bruce Main Smith page you will find full details of all our specialist technical literature which is all available to purchase on-line.

As part of our specialist services and retail operation The National Motorcycle Museum is pleased to be able to supply a huge range of motorcycle tyres which can be ordered on-line for convenient next day delivery to your home or business address.

We are able to supply tyres to fit most machines from the beaded edge type for the earliest pioneer bikes through to the superbikes of the 1970s and 80s as well as inner tubes and other accessories.

Whilst The National Motorcycle Museum might hold the biggest and best collection of British motorcycles in the world we are about so much more than just our bikes!

It is our stated aim to provide a wealth of specialist services and unique activities (via our museum friends scheme) which allow people to make the very most of owning classic British motorcycles.

More information can be found within the Specialist Services section or on the pages listed on the menu to the left. Don’t forget that our Bruce main-Smith archive of photocopy technical literature is an invaluable service to all restorers and owners of classic bikes.

As a world class institution staffed by knowledgeable experts The National Motorcycle Museum is a leading resource for all types of media and other organisations as regards historic British motorcycles.

On the media services & films props page you will find a list of some of the ways that we can help you ranging from sourcing a particular historic motorcycle for your film production through to press consultancy for print or broadcast media articles.